blip

1 of 2

noun

ˈblip 

1

: a trace on a display screen (such as an oscilloscope)

especially : a spot on a radar screen

2

: a short crisp sound

3

: an interruption of the sound received in a radio or television program or occurring in a recording as a result of blipping

4

: a transient sharp movement up or down (as of a quantity commonly shown on a graph)

5

: something relatively small or inconsequential within a larger context

made only a blip on the political scene

blip

2 of 2

verb

blipped; blipping

transitive verb

: to remove (recorded sound) from a recording so that there is an interruption of the sound in the reproduction

a censor blipped the swear words

Examples of blip in a Sentence

Noun

The approaching ship appeared as a blip on the screen.

the blips, buzzes, and bleeps of a video game

The company's financial problems were just a temporary blip.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

It may be amount to just a temporary blip, as the company continues to negotiate with the U.S. government to find an amicable solution. —Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 15 Jan. 2025

Leaders need to accept that blips will happen and will need to be addressed rather than ignored. —Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025

Verb

If emissions continue at their current trajectory, about one in twenty could blip out of existence. —Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 7 Dec. 2024

Back to the Carrera T, and the latest 911 is fitted as standard with rear-wheel steering – this was an option on the previous T – along with a sports exhaust and a rev-matching function that blips the engine between downshifts. —Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1968, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

blip

noun

ˈblip

: a spot on a screen

a radar blip